Aqib Talib traded to the New England Patriots

By Ryan Terrana

Jim Brown-US PRESSWIRE

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have decided to part ways with troubled corner Aqib Talib as they shipped him off just before the trade deadline. While it was in instant shock that the trade was made, the more you think about it, you could see the writing was on the wall for Talib. I said earlier in the year when Talib was suspended that he could have played his last game as a Buccaneer and that general manager Mark Dominik could make a move to get draft picks at the deadline.

The New England Patriots desperately needed corner help and get that in Talib. He has the talent and physical ability to be a top ten corner, but his inconsistency on the field keeps him from being that. They do get a gambler with fantastic ball skills. Despite Talib being in a contract year, the Patriots gave up their 2013 4th rounder in exchange for Talib and the Buccaneers’ 7th rounder.

Talib has been an enigma since the Buccaneers drafted him in the first round of 2008. With two arrests and two suspensions already under his belt, they have had enough. When coach Greg Schiano took over the team, he said that he would give the troubled corner a clean slate, but with this past suspension, Talib forced Schiano to prove his word.

This will leave the Buccaneers very weak at the corner position for the rest of the season. The front office must have some insight on Eric Wright’s suspension, because if he does get suspended it leaves the Buccaneers with only one corner who has seen significant time, E.J. Biggers.

One thing this move will allow for is a couple of the younger guys a shot to prove their talent. Even before the trade, I have been advocating for Leonard Johnson to get some more playing time. He impressed in seeing some significant time in the past week. How he plays will be a big factor in what the Buccaneers do in this next off-season.

The other player who at least needs to make it on to the field is Myron Lewis. The former third round pick needs to prove that he deserves a better roster spot. The remaining nine games will be crucial for his career as a Buccaneer.

This move hurts the Buccaneers in the short term without a doubt. If you think about it more, though, they netted a 4th round pick for a player that they were most likely going to let walk after this season. If the Patriots don’t resign him, that means they just gave up a 4th rounder for a player who will only play eight regular season games for them. We’ll see how this plays out for both teams who have struggled to slow down the pass this year.